Self-recording water-gage.



No. 674,634. Patented May 2|, IQUI. 0. C. PATTON.

SELF RECORDING WATER GAGE.

@pplication filed Oct. 4, 1899.)

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No. 674,634. Patented May 2|, |90|.-

0. c. PATTUN.

SELF RECORDING WATER GAGE.

(Application filed. Oct. 4, 1899.)

(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT.

OLIVER. C. PATTON, OF GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO.

SELF-RECORDING WATER-GAGE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 674,634, dated May 21,190' 1.

Application filed October 4:, 1899. Serial No. 732,656. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER C. PATTON, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Grand Junction, in the county of Mesa and State ofColorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Recording Water-Gages, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in self-registering water-gagesfor all kinds of ditches, the object being to provide a machine adaptedto be placed at or near the head-gate of ditches or in ditches at anypoint or in laterals and to register the amount of water used or takenthrough the ditch at all times and to indicate the exact amount taken orused during each and every hour of the day by means of an automaticrecording device.

With the foregoing object in view my invention consists in certain novelfeatures of construction and combinations of parts, which will behereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view in side elevation, andFig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a view of the registering paper orsheet.

The base or foundation plate 1 is mounted on suitable piles or posts.(Not shown.) A float 3, made of tin or other sheet metal, hollow andconcaved at the bottom, extends be low the base or foundation plate andmoves freely with the rise and fall of the water upon which it rests.Adjustably secured to this float by means of the set-screw 4 is thefloatstandard 5. Said standard passes loosely through guide-boxes 6 and7, which confine its movements to an endwise vertical direction. On oneside of the float-standard rackteeth 8 are formed. A horizontal shaft 9is revolubly supported in bearings 10 10, and on this shaft large andsmall gear-wheels l1 and 12 are secured, the teeth of the largergear-wheel 11 meshing with the teeth on the float-standard and derivingmotion from the rising and falling movements of said standard as itfluctuates with the changes in Water elevation in the ditch. Ahorizontally-disposed recording-bar 13 is held in boxes 14 1,4, and ithas teeth 15, extending approximately its entire length on the lowersurface thereof, which mesh with the teeth of the smaller gear-wheel 12,from which said recordingbar derives its motion. This recording-barcarries a clasp 16 at or near one end, in which a pen or pencilisremovably secured.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the motion of the water in theditch is communicated, through the float, float-standard, horizontalshaft, and connected gear-wheels, to the recording-bar and its pen orpencil, which results in sliding said recording-bar back and forthendwise in a horizontal direction.

Immediately beneath the pen or pencil a suitable recording-sheet iscarried. This recording-sheet is shown in Fig. l and, as indicated, ismarked in squares by lines drawn both lengthwise and crosswise thereof,the cross-lines being heaviest on the inch or hour divisions andnumbered consecutively from 1 to 12 to correspond-with the hours on theclock. Each inch is divided on the paper into twelve divisions andrepresent each five minutes of the hour by light lines running crosswiseof the paper, and the lines running lengthwise are also light lines andspaced at about one-eighth of an inch apart. The roll of paperpreferably contains about two hundred feet and is adapted to run aboutthree and a half months, or one irrigating season. 'This paper is drawn0d of a roll 17 and is drawn across a table 18 beneath the recording penor' pencil. Another roller 19 at the other side of the table receivesone end of the paper, and the latter is pulled thereby at the rate ofone inch per hour. The roller 19 has teeth or pegs 21 thereon to engagethe paper and insure its movement over the roller as the latter turns.An upper roller 22 immediately above roller 19 holds the paper in placeupon these pegs. A clock 23, preferably an eight-day clock, is connectedwith the axle of roller 22, whereby a continuous motion is impartedthereto and the paper is pulled at the rate of one inch per hour fromthe paper-roll. Thus it Will be seen that while the float, with itsrecording-bar, and the paper are actuated by independent forces, yet,nevertheless, they cooperate to effect the unitary result of recordingthe water fluctuation in the ditch or laterals.

It is the intention in addition to the mechanism described to equip thegage with an electric bell, so that ,on occasions of emergency the bellwill give an alarm to the parties interested. To this end thecontact-bar 25 is attached to the upper end of the floatstandard inposition to close an electric circuit by connecting the ground-wire 26and the line-wire 27 when the float and floatst-andard drop to a certainpredetermined to the exact construction herein set forth; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is"

1. The combination with a float, a standard carried thereby andcontactbar upon the standard adapted to make and break an electriccircuit according to the position of the standard, of a recording pen orpencil operated by the movements of the floatand floatstandard, arecordingsheet and means independent of the mechanism for operating thepen or pencil for drawing the sheet at a predetermined and uniformspeed.

2. The combination with a float and standard adjustably connectedtherewith, said standard having a contact-bar thereon for making andbreaking an electric circuit according to the position of the float andstandard, of a recording pen or pencil operated by the movements of thefloat and standard and a recoi'dingsheet drawn at a predetermined anduniform speed across the path of the pen or pencil.

3. 'lhecom bination with a float and floatstandard having teeth thereon,a shaft having gear-wheels thereon one of which is engaged by teeth onthe standard and a toothed recording-bar, the teeth of which are engagedby the other gear-wheel said" bar carrying a pen or pencil holder, of arecording-sheet, a

' table over which thelatter is drawn, a roller standard having teeththereon, a shaft having two gear-wheels thereon, one in engagement withthe teeth on the standard, a toothed recording-bar with the teeth ofwhich the other gear-wheel engages said bar having a spring pen orpencil holder thereon adapted to removably hold a pencil, of arecordingstrip, rollers therefor, a table over which the latter is drawnand a. clock mechanism for imparting motion to one of said rollers forpulling the paper at a uniform and predetermined speed across the pathof the pen or pencil whereby the reciprocating movements of the pen orpencil are registered upon the strip.

5. The combination with a framework, a float-casing and float-carrying atoothed standard, of a recording-bar carrying a pen or pencil, means forcommunicating motion from the standard to the bar, a recording-strip andmeans for pulling the latter across the path of the recording pen orpencil at a uniform speed.

6. The combination with a recording-sheet, and means for impartingastraight rectilinear movement thereto, of a float, an extensiblestandard connected therewith, and a recording device actuated by thefloat for marking upon the sheet during the continuous endwise movementof the latter.

7. The combination with a float, a toothed standard, and a shaft havinglarge and small gearwheels thereon, one meshed with the teeth on thestandard, a rack-bar carrying a recording device, the teeth of this barintermeshed with the teeth .of the other gear-wheel on the shaft, of arecording-sheet and means for imparting a continuous endw-ise movementthereto.

8. The combination with a float, an extensible standard and a shafthaving large and small gear-Wheels thereon, one meshed with the teeth onthe standard, a rackebar carrying a recording device, the teeth of thisbar inter-meshed with the teeth of the other gearwheel on the shaft, ofa recording-sheet and means for imparting a continuous endwise movementthereto.

OLIVER C. PATTON. In presence of J. S. OARNAHAN, T. R. SULLIVAN.

